Police Searching RI Home After Burning Body Found in Mass.

Authorities in Rhode Island are reportedly searching a crime scene in Cranston in connection with Tuesday's discovery of a burning body in Massachusetts. (Published Wednesday, July 19, 2017)

A 17-year-old male has been arrested for the murder of a man whose burned body was found in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Tuesday.

The arrest came after police searched a home on Edgewood Avenue in Cranston, Rhode Island, on Wednesday morning. Police said the search was related to the grisly discovery in Attleboro the day before.

The smoldering body was found along the woodline adjacent to Prescott Street in Attleboro around 3 a.m. Tuesday. Police said it appeared the body was set on fire and then extinguished. A preliminary investigation revealed that the victim had also been shot.

The victim has been identified as 24-year-old Valdez Loiseau. He is believed to have lived on Edgewood Avenue in Cranston with his 35-year-old girlfriend Melonie Perez and her 17-year-old son.

Police said Loiseau was last seen at the residence the night before his body was discovered and that he had been involved in a physical altercation with Perez.

While executing a search warrant inside the Edgewood Avenue residence on Wednesday, police observed a semi-automatic handgun and blood on the bottom of Perez's shoes.

During an interview with investigators, the 17-year-old reportedly told police that he shot Loiseau inside the home with a handgun. The teen said he shot Loiseau as a result of the altercation between Loiseau and his mother. He said he and his mother then brought the body to Attleboro, where he placed it in a wooded area and set it on fire.

The teen - whose name was not released by police - is charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm while committing a crime of violence and compounding or concealing a felony. He is being held at a juvenile corrections center.

Perez, his mother, was also charged in connection with her boyfriend's death. She is charged with compounding or concealing a felony, report of crimes to law enforcement officials and vandalism. She was arraigned Wednesday and released on $10,000 personal recognizance bail.

Also charged were Samantha Rastella, 18, and another 17-year-old male, both of Cranston.

Rastella is facing charges for compounding or concealing a felony and report of crimes to law enforcement officials and was released on personal recognizance.

The 17-year-old is charged with possession of ammunition by a minor and was released to a parent.